MusicMaster Blog

By Drew Bennett

You can take a look at every decision MusicMaster made when it scheduled your last session. It’s called the Thinking Process and to turn it on, you will head to Dataset, Scheduler, Automatic Scheduler, Options and choose “Save Thinking Process to Disk.” Once you’ve scheduled your session, find the Thinking Process button in the Recap Report by choosing Dataset, Schedule, Recap Report. You can also find Thinking_Process.txt in the directory with your database file. Inside, you will see a log of every decision MusicMaster made when it scheduled the last session. It’s a great way to identify problems during the scheduling session. Maybe you have several unscheduled positions but no clue as to why they happened. The Thinking Process will show you what rules passed and failed for that position making it much easier to identify a problem. Happy scheduling!

Marianne Burkett

Need to make a change across all clocks to the text of a specific lognote? Fastest way to do this is in DATASET-CLOCKS-LOGNOTE TEXT. (more…)

I had a client email the question this morning: Is there a Core Artist report in MusicMaster for Windows? Depending on your perspective, there are a few ways to generate that report with a few simple clicks. If you’d like to have the report depend on frequency of plays – use the History Browser’s Artist rank and spins report (Dataset/Analysis/History Browser). If you’d like the report to depend on number of Titles each artist has – use your Library Analysis report on the artist field. Just bring up your Active Music Categories group and right click on the artist field and select “Library Analysis”. This will give you an instant report from top to bottom of the Artists with the most to least songs.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve started working with MusicMaster or installed the application on your computer, its a good idea to check from time to time and verify you are running the latest release version. The MusicMaster email newsletter will announce when a new service release is available, but you can check for the latest version anytime in the application by clicking HELP-CHECK FOR UPDATE. Click through the NEXT menu in the Software Upgrade Wizard window to see if there is a new version that you can download and install. You’ll need to remember to close the MusicMaster application completely after the download of the update is finished before running the update. If the program indicates you’ll need to restart your machine for the changes to take effect, please do that at your earliest convenience. Also make sure to update all other machines in your facility to this version as soon as possible.

If you want to learn about what’s new in the version you just updated to, check HELP-RELEASE NOTES. Past the system requirements section, you’ll be able to read everything that is included in this new service release. As always if you have any questions about a feature or functionality in the update, or you encounter an issue along the way, reach out to us for help!

by Paul Ziino

Here’s a quick tip for an easy way to search your database. Go to View/Search Bar and make sure it is checked. Via the Search Bar you can do a "contains any of" query in the Primary and Secondary fields of the data, without having to open a new query box.

For example: type LOVE in the search bar and press Enter to receive a list of all songs with LOVE in the Primary or Secondary fields of the data (typically Title and Artist, this can be set under Dataset/Library/Fields. For more info, search for Primary Field in the online Help). You’ll get titles such as "Love Walks In", "Looking for a New Love", "I Knew I Loved You", and artists including Loverboy, G. Love and Special Sauce, and Dana Glover.

by Paul Ziino

Many radio stations offer a “No Repeat Workday”. And when they do, they rely on MusicMaster to make sure this happens without any glitches. Here’s how to set up No Repeat in MusicMaster.

First you’ll open your Rule Tree (Dataset/Rule Tree, or click the lightning bolt icon). No Repeat is a “Song/History Rule” so click the + next to that folder under Available Rule Types. No Repeat is the second option there. You can drag that rule into the appropriate Unbreakable folder on the left side of the tree. Note: You could make it breakable, but that would allow MusicMaster to violate the rule, thus not guaranteeing no song will repeat.

Once you’ve dropped the rule into position the Rule Properties box will open. This is where you establish the parameters of this rule. First, you’ll indicate a description. This is where you’ll name the rule, for example “Monday”.

The Time Restriction box is where you indicate the hours this no repeat zone applies. Note: place an X in the hours where this no repeat zone applies. Once that’s established, click the “Save as new Restriction” icon, name it accordingly and click OK. A Monday 9-5 No Repeat will look like this…

Click Apply and then OK on the No Repeat rule properties when finished.

You will want a unique No Repeat rule for each no repeat zone. So if you require a no repeat workday Monday through Friday, you’ll need to turn on the rule 5 times—once for each day—and set the time restrictions accordingly.

There are many applications for No Repeat. You could use No Repeat for a featured program such as “Get the Led Out” where at 9pm each day you play a block of songs by Led Zeppelin. You want to make sure not to repeat any song within the week, so you could set up your No Repeat Time Restriction like this…You can open an hour into halves or quarters by right-clicking on that hour in the Time Restriction box and clicking on Hour Mode. In this example, we have a no repeat zone from 9:00-9:30pm every day of the week.

Another application might be protecting drive times so that songs that played in morning drive today will not play in afternoon drive today or tomorrow’s morning drive. If today is Monday, here is what that time restriction would look like…Just remember you’d want to set up a different no repeat rule for each zone. So for weekday drive protection you would need to activate that rule 10 times—one for each day’s morning and another for each day’s afternoon drive.

These are just a few of the ways No Repeat can be put to work for you. Of course if you have any questions on setting up No Repeat, you can refer to the Help section of MusicMaster or contact your Music Scheduling Consultant.

by Marianne Burkett

From time to time, most people go to their Primary Care Doctor for a physical exam, take the car in for servicing or have their home HVAC inspected – just to be sure there isn’t a problem lurking. In the same vein, it’s also wise to take a critical look at your MusicMaster database every so often. (more…)

by Drew Bennett

Today, I want to let you in on an interesting rule in the MusicMaster for Windows Rule Tree. It’s called, Shift Pattern Rotation and it may change the way you schedule your bigger categories. Why? Because it’s so cool!

In your Rule Tree, look at the Available Rules folders on the right side of the screen and locate the Shift Pattern Rotation rule inside the Hour Rotation Rules folder under Song/History Rules. (Hint: It’s the second rule from the bottom.)

Let’s decide if the Shift Pattern Rotation rule is right for you by taking a look at the properties of the rule to find out what it does. To see the properties of a rule, pull it over to a Breakable or Unbreakable folder in your Rule Tree.

When the properties box pops up, you can see how we are able to set up the rule. The Shift Pattern Rotation rule tests songs to make sure they schedule within the shift pattern that you define within the rule. To set the pattern you want your songs to follow, click on the numbered boxes in the rule. As you click the boxes, they will move to the Shift Pattern line. The order they in which they appear are in the order that will be used to move the songs through your shifts. Basically, you are restricting the songs to only play in the shift that follows the last shift they played in within this pattern. Cool, huh!
This is how I set up my rule. I only have 8 shifts defined in my Shift Editor so I don’t need to include the 9th box in my pattern.

Don’t forget to set your shifts in the Shift Editor. You can find the Shift Editor by choosing the Shift Editor button from within the rule properties. You can also find Shift Editor by going to Dataset, Schedule, Shift Editor or through the Related button in the Rule Tree.

See? I have 8 shifts defined in the Shift Editor and that is why I used 8 boxes in my Shift Pattern rule. Keep in mind, however, that you do not necessarily have to use all of your shifts in the rule. For instance, if you don’t want to consider Overnights when creating the pattern in the rule, leave out the shift number that corresponds with your Overnight shift. Also, any play that occurs in a blank shift will not be counted against the test as it is configured.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, ‘What about dayparted songs within the category?’ Dayparted songs are handled a bit differently when it comes to the Shift Pattern Rotation rule and it’s because of their limited ability to rotate. When MusicMaster comes to a dayparted song that must be tested for Shift Rotation, it will determine the number of shifts that song is allowed to play in. If that number is one or zero, the rule is disabled for this song, otherwise, the song would have no opportunity to play. If the number of shifts the song can play in is less than or equal to the number of plays requested in the rule properties, then the actual number of plays in other shifts required for that song will be the maximum number possible minus one.

For control on how your songs schedule through your shifts, consider using the Shift Pattern Rotation rule on your larger Gold categories. It’s a great way to space your plays evenly throughout your shifts.

By Marianne Burkett

So, you just received some great news! Your IT manager or Engineer just emailed that you’re (finally) getting that long promised new computer for the office. It’s going to be a week or so before he has it all configured and ready to go, but among all the computer programs you are starting to make a mental note of that need to be loaded and configured on the new machine is (of course) MusicMaster for Windows.

I will outline the typical steps that we would recommend you follow when planning to migrate the software and your database(s) to a new machine. If you already know the specifications on the machine you will be getting (or if your IT person has just come to you and asked “what does your new computer need to be able to run MusicMaster Windows” here are some resources to check to verify that this shiny new machine coming your way meets (and will likely exceed) the specifications to run the application.

First, you can check the HELP-RELEASE NOTES section on your currently installed MusicMaster to find out what operating systems that the application “natively” supports, as well as the major Microsoft system components that are needed for the program to run correctly. If you do not see your OS represented or you have other questions about these basic specs, please contact your Music Scheduling Consultant (MSC) to discuss your circumstances.

On the MusicMaster website you can get the basic recommendations for the hardware specs we suggest.

For a more in depth rundown, visit the Support and Downloads section of the MusicMaster website, you can also download (or direct your IT person to download) our “MusicMaster IT Guide” PDF which can be found in the MusicMaster User Guides section. Beginning on page 2 of the guide you will find minimum as well as optimal recommendations for the computer hardware itself, your internet connection, the operating system, and additional requirements.

Run TOOLS-PURGE, before making your database backup. This utility removes extra space from your data that could cause your backup to be larger than it needs to be. Make certain that no other users are in the database(s) you are backing before you run this process. This will additionally have the benefit of speeding up your database.

Back up your data (TOOLS-BACKUP.) Look for any .def files or special .ini files we’ve created for your specific databases. Copy the zip file (typically something in the format Call letters-FM.ZIP). If you have any questions about specific files that you think may need to be carried over to the new machine, please contact your Music Scheduling Consultant.

If your database(s) reside on your office network (instead of the default application folder, C:\MMwin or C:\Program Files\MusicMaster) you can skip this step, although it may be a good idea to verify that this is in fact the case with your IT support staff.

Download the latest version of the application from the support site once you’ve logged on to our web site (Contact Support/LOGIN.) Once you are logged on, go to-Downloads and select the version of MusicMaster you are currently using.

Once you’ve downloaded the full installer of the application (make certain you have Admin rights before you begin), go ahead and run the installer, and follow all of the prompts. In most cases, you will not need to make any changes to the default settings the installer will suggest.

If your database(s) reside on your office network, the default desktop shortcut to the application will need to be modified slightly to launch the application locally then source the data from your network. If this is the way the old machine was set, you can simply copy the target line for the shortcut in the old machine to the old machine, or consult with your IT staff or your MusicMaster MSC for assistance with proper setup.

Next, uznzip/extract your database(s) onto the new machine (typically) into the C:\mmwin directory. If your data is on your network, you’ll skip this step.

After you’ve installed MusicMaster on the new machine restart the machine, plug in your MusicMaster dongle and wait for Windows to find the new hardware.  Once Windows notifies you that your new hardware is ready to use, you should be “good to go” with MusicMaster on your new machine… Enjoy!

If you have any difficulty with the installation, or would like a Music Scheduling Consultant to help you install, feel free to contact them directly.

by Drew Bennett

There are lots of neat little bells and whistles inside MusicMaster and I want to cover one that I found to be especially handy once I set it up in my first MusicMaster for Windows database. I’ve always liked adding trivia to my songs. Call me old school, but I’ll include a birthday, a new tour or new CD information so my jocks know what’s going on. If your jocks don’t do their own show prep, MusicMaster makes it really easy to do it for them and it looks great when you show off your data to someone.

Today, I’m going to walk you through setting up your songs to display the band’s website when your cursor has the band selected in Library Maintenance and/or the Schedule Editor. It’s like having a personal assistant pull up artist information on the fly and precisely when you need it. When we’re done, it should look something like this:

The first thing you want to do is decide which field you’re going to use to hold the band’s web address. To make a choice, choose Dataset, Library, Fields.

In the example above, I’ve selected a field I called URL. It is a text field and the field length is 255. That will be plenty of space for web addresses. When choosing a field in the Database Field Editor, make sure you choose a Text field. If the length of the field is over, say, 100 characters, that should be plenty of space to hold a web address. If you find a Text field that you do not use, and the length of the field is long enough to hold your web addresses, you can rename that field to something like URL or Web Address and begin using it for the purposes of this tutorial. Once you find a field to use, hit OK. If you do not find a Text field that has a length to accommodate web addresses, consult your Music Scheduling Consultant to see about having a field added to your database.

Next, let’s set up MusicMaster to display a web browser inside the software. To do this, go to Tools, Options, External Database Links.

I use Firefox as a web browser so in the External Link Path, I typed in the path to firefox.exe, which is the executable file that Firefox uses when it launches a web browser for me. You can add any path in that links to the executable file for your favorite browser. Below that field you will see another field for Valid File Types. This field can be left alone or you can add in file types that can be played within your browser. Finally, you will use the dropdown box at the bottom of this screen to tell MusicMaster where you will be putting the web address for each artist in your database. You can see in my example that I’ve chosen URL as my Auto Link Field. Click Apply and OK.

Now, you will head to your first Song Card and bring your new web address field into your layout. You’ll type the artist’s web address into your new web address field.

Now it’s time to show it off. At the top of the software, choose View, Web Browser. If you’ve set everything up correctly, you should see your artist’s web page in MusicMaster’s browser window. Once you have web pages associated with all of the songs in your database, you can find artist information instantly when you’re maintaining the library or scheduling a day’s worth of music. Not only that, it looks really sharp when you’re showing off your data to the rest of the programming department or your consultant. All of a sudden, you have an assistant that pulls up artist information based on the web address you have in the song card. To enter that information into Trivia, click on the Trivia icon. (Hint: It looks like a folder with paperclip on top of it.) Finding and entering trivia and artist information was never easier.

Good luck with it! If you have any questions about how to set up this or anything else in MusicMaster for Windows, please don’t hesitate to call your assigned Music Scheduling Consultant. Happy Scheduling!